Does Financial innovation improve Financial Inclusion in African countries?

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the link between financial innovation and financial inclusion as measured by the number of depositors in commercial banks per 1000 adults, and financial innovation, as assessed by the number of ATMs and the ratio of bank credit to the private sector. Cross-sectional data for six African nations from the years 2006 to 2020 were used to specify and evaluate an econometric model based on previous studies. It was performed using the SUR (Seemingly Unrelated Regression) approach. The results demonstrate the beneficial role played by financial innovation in advancing the financial inclusion process in Africa, including the development of new services via ATMs and the issuance of credit to the private sector. Few studies concentrate on the link between financial innovation and financial inclusion, despite the theoretical and empirical literature focusing more on their determinants. This study intends to enrich the field by exploring the link between financial innovation and financial inclusion in six African economies during the period from 2006 to 2020.